HealthLeadersMedia.com - Health Governance Report

How big, how soon?

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Hospitals and health systems are rapidly transitioning their businesses to deal with some of the known truths about healthcare reform. For one, reimbursement is declining, so they'll be looking to do more with less. Second, the acute care hospital will not be the engine of growth; outpatient services will. But amid these generally accepted facts, perhaps the greatest unknown is service capacity. Will hospitals be ready for an influx of patients as more people become insured?

Spectrum Health targets ED frequent flyers for primary care

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

A new program at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, MI, is identifying "frequent flyers" at the system's EDs and placing those patients with a multi-specialist intervention team.

William F. Jessee talks physician-hospital alignment

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

After being president and CEO of the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) for 12 years, William F. Jessee, MD, FACMPE, stepped down in October 2011, which gives him the chance to spend more time examining the landscape of physician and hospital integration.

Three keys to recruiting employed physicians

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Healthcare reform, the unsteady economy, and an increased value on lifestyle balance are factors driving more and more physicians to favor employment over running an independent practice. Strategically this is good news for hospitals, but marketers and physician recruiters need to hone their tactics to appeal to this growing group of in-house providers.

Four vital issues for physicians in 2012

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Amid the ambiguity about the business of being a doctor, "there is much despair among the physician population," says Lou Goodman, PhD, president of The Physicians Foundation, a nonprofit, which seeks to advance the work of practicing physicians by conducting research. Goodman is also CEO of the Texas Medical Association.

Health Governance Report, March 2012

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Intersection of solution

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Whatever the catchphrase or program being discussed to make healthcare more cost-effective, the question usually boils down to a simple proposition: Can doctors and hospitals deliver better care for less cost? While there will be doctors, nurses, administrators, and other key players at the table discussing that question, all answers will at some point go through the chief financial officer (CFO).

To prevent VBP financial loss, think like a clinician

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Healthcare financial leaders and clinicians have traditionally worked in their own silos, running into each other occasionally but rarely seeing eye to eye. Yet they now must work together to achieve the goals set forth in the federal value-based purchasing (VBP) rule.

Top 12 uncertainties hovering over healthcare

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

If ever there was a year in which "anything could happen" in healthcare, 2012 just might be it. Numerous major decisions, regulations, and policy rollouts loom, including how severely physicians' pay will be cut and whether the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is a constitutional document. The following are a dozen potential game changers in 2012:

Lowest-quality care goes to poor, minority patients

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Harvard researchers who identified 178 hospitals that provide the lowest quality of care yet have the highest cost also found that these facilities treat a higher proportion of poor, aged, and minority patients than 122 hospitals that provide high-quality and lower-cost care.

How to motivate clinical staff for value-based purchasing

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Healthcare financial leaders are probably well aware of the performance-based penalties and rewards that accompany value-based purchasing (VBP), but is your clinical staff? The following are three possible approaches you can use to motivate healthcare professionals to drive down costs and improve quality to meet the directives of VBP:

Health Governance Report, February 2012

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Six steps to creating a connected health program

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

A successful connected health program, in which patients use information technology and other tools to engage in their care and self-manage conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, involves a lot of preparation. In fact, the planning for a connected health program begins well before you even launch a pilot program.

Alliances: Pathways to an ACO

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Federal regulations, especially surrounding accountable care organizations (ACO), get plenty of attention these days. But many in the industry are wary about what CMS has in store, and those looking to develop commercial models recognize that a full-scale ACO could be years away.

ED docs must look beyond acute care

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

ED physicians see themselves in a health reform vise, squeezed on one side by administrators and payers who think they should work faster and better, and on the other by new penalty and billing rules they are only starting to understand.

How health IT can make care transitions safer

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

So much can go wrong during so-called transitions of care. Lack of communication and coordination with primary care physicians when a patient is discharged from the hospital, for example, can compromise patient safety, lead to ED visits and readmissions, and cause a host of other problems.

AMA asks Medicare to pay doctors for care coordination

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

The AMA wants Medicare to start paying doctors for four types of coordination services because they avoid more expensive patient care in the hospital down the line. The services include responding to telephone calls seven days or more after a patient sees the doctor, education and training to enable patients to better manage their own health, better management of anticoagulation drugs such as warfarin, and time spent coordinating team-based care when the patient is not present.

Health Governance Report, January 2012

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Engaging the patient

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT

It is easy to say that patients are at the center of healthcare, but a challenge healthcare leaders face centers on the question of responsibility for the patients' care. Some providers are evaluating the patients' role, committing resources to help educate them as to their central place in healthcare. Others are still struggling to understand the impact of patient-centered approaches.

Patient motivation a must for accountable care

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Accountable care is not a new concept to physicians, but the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA) is creating new pressure to get patients more actively involved in their care, says Erica Drazen, managing partner for emerging practices with the healthcare consulting firm CSC in Waltham, MA. Not only will patients' health improve, but the practice's revenue also can benefit.